TVLINE | Danny ultimately accepts the promotion to detective sergeant, but only after Lena gives him her blessing. Why was it important that he needed to hear from her before saying yes? And how does their dynamic change, if at all, now that he is technically her superior?
SONNIER | If you recall last season, we watched her get passed over for a promotion. These two are more than partners at this point. They are truly kindred spirits, and they care about each other. Danny didn’t want to be another reason that Lena had to feel passed over.
It came out of conversations with the actors and sitting in the writers’ room. We want to explore this story of Danny accepting more responsibility and starting to climb the ladder toward what we’ve seen his father do for many years, and accept that mantle. But at the same time, we never want it to feel like it’s at the expense of Lena. And so, it became very important that not only does she bless it, but she encourages it because, having gone through what she went through at the end of last year, she has done some self-exploration, and she has more to do where she is before she is truly ready to move up.
MARGOLIS | And to speak to the other part of your question about what this is going to change, on the one hand, for Danny, it’s going to change a lot in that he’s going to be faced with new obstacles from a leadership position within the department. Those are going to be fun chances for us to explore his character — how he reacts to managing up, managing the press, and all the things that come along with the new rank and responsibility.
On the other hand, when it comes to the dynamic between him and Lena, it’s changing nothing. They still ride together. They’re still partners. They are still each other’s go-to and kindred spirits, like my partner said. We never wanted to undermine the core dynamic at the heart of our show while also getting a chance to let them explore some growth and development. It will still be Danny and Lena, “Brooklyn” and “Beantown,” riding together.
TVLINE | Brian survives the attempt on his life, but we see that he’s struggling with PTSD, and Sarah ultimately declines to clear him for duty. Was there ever serious consideration given to killing Brian off?
MARGOLIS | For a couple of reasons, no. I think we began Season 1 in a place of mourning and grief [surrounding the loss of Ben Silver], and we just, creatively, wanted to be away from that spirit. We could still have a burning need for vengeance and justice without having lost another loved one in the lives of the Silvers and the Reagans.
And two, we just love Ryan Broussard. It would be a shame to kill a talented guy like that. You want to keep him around as long as you can.
TVLINE | Lena discovers that the photo of Mae and Chris was taken by the driver of the same truck that nearly killed Brian, and Mae’s opponent, Thad Longfellow, warns Lena that “someone is coming for your family.” How much can we trust what Thad is telling her?
MARGOLIS | I think the one thing we can trust is that Thad will save his own skin when required. In that moment, he’s feeling the pressure from Lena when she approaches him at that fundraising event. He recognizes that he’s dealing with a woman on fire, to some degree. So, in a moment of self-preservation, he was giving up the goods and trying to posit that, “Hey, this didn’t start with me. I was just taking advantage of an opportunity that was presented to me,” and is quick to put the spotlight onto somebody else, even if he doesn’t have all the answers. So, I think we can trust that Thad will do what’s needed to protect his own neck.
TVLINE | What can you tease about who is targeting the Silvers and why?
SONNIER | We can say that it’s a new threat that comes from someone close to the family. And this new threat does encroach upon our Boston family, the Silvers and the Reagans, for some time to come.
TVLINE | Seth’s opposition research uncovers Mae’s 1985 visit to a family planning clinic, but we learn that Mae was actually there supporting Jill, who had an abortion — something Rev. Peters still doesn’t know. What does the fallout from that secret look like for the Peters family?
SONNIER | There’s huge political fallout, as Mae references in the episode. But this is, at its heart, a family drama, and there’s huge family fallout. There’s a reconciliation. There’s a sort of come-to-Jesus moment that needs to happen between Mae and her father. before she was a Silver, Mae was a Peters, and there’s a lot that needs to be dealt with, within the Peters family.
MARGOLIS | But we will unpack the truth of what that entire incident was about this season. We will explore what happened. We will get to see Jill come back, and we will get to the bottom of it.
